Antenna support and stowage system

ABSTRACT

An antenna support and stowage device comprising a shelter, a pair of rails along which an antenna and its support can enter and exit the shelter, one of the rails being on the floor and the other being on the ceiling of the shelter, a yoke for supporting the antenna, the yoke being adapted to ride along these rails and to pivot about an entrance to the shelter, the yoke being provided with a second pivot whereby it connects to the antenna. Brackets are mounted on each side of the shelter entrance for pinning the frame to the brackets and rigidly supporting the antenna even in the presence of wind gusts. Motor driven pivots are provided for pivoting the antenna about the frame and the frame about the shelter.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,747,113 De Vellis July 17, 1973 ANTENNASUPPORT AND STOWAGE Primary Examiner-Eli Lieberman SYSTEMAttorney-Milton D. Bartlett et a]. [75) lnventor: Salvatore V. DeVellls, Bedford,

Mass. [5 7] ABSTRACT alylhmn P b Lexington- An antenna support andstowage device comprising a ass.

shelter, a pair of rails along which an antenna and its 22 F] d: M 311972 support can enter and exit the shelter, one of the rails I i ebeing on the floor and the other being on the ceiling of l l PP 253,156the shelter, a yoke for supporting the antenna, the yoke being adaptedto ride along these rails and to pivot 52 us. Cl 343/766 343/872 343/881an entrance to the shehmthe yoke being P 511 Int. Cl. u'ol 3/00 with asmhd P whereby "connects to the [58] Field of Search 343/763, 765, 766,ahtehha- Brackets are mounted on each side of the 343/872 881 882shelter entrance for pinning the frame to the brackets and rigidlysupporting the antenna even in the presence [56] References Cited ofwind gusts. Motor driven pivots are provided for piv- UNITED STATESPATENTS oting the antenna about the frame and the frame about theshelter.' 3,646,564 2/1972 Drislane 343/766 15 Claims, 5 Drawing FiguresPAIENIEU JUL 1 1 ma SHEEIIOFS ANTENNA SUPPORT AND STOWAGE SYSTEM Theinvention herein described was made in the course of or under a contractor subcontract thereunder, (or grant) with the Department of Defense.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for thepositioning and stowage of an antenna, and more particularly to astowage system providing for a readily portable antenna as well asproviding a rigid base upon which the antenna can be readily mounted.

Numerous forms of antenna positioning mechanisms have been built in thepast. Each of these is particularly adapted to a specific situation suchas the mounting of an antenna on a moving vehicle, to a fixed pedestal,or to a wall. For antenna stowage, such mechanisms may be combined withan ancillary stowage device, or the mechanism may simply provide for astowage position of the antenna to facilitate transportation by avehicle to which the antenna support mechanism is affixed.

A problem arises wherein a portable antenna is to be mounted withsufficient rigidity to permit its use in a highly precise radar systemfor guiding aircraft in their approach as to an airport runway. Inaddition to'the usual requirements of a relatively lightweight antennasupport and shelter to permit transportation to a remote site, theantenna positioning mechanism should shelter. Automatically latchingbrackets are provided at the termini of the 180 sector and arepositioned at the corners of the shelter to contact both the upper andthe lower beams of the yoke to provide sufficient dypermit anorientation of the antenna in a variety of directions to accommodate thevarious runways at an airport, this capability of antenna orientation tobe accomplished without sacrificing the rigidity associated withstationary antenna supports. It is also noted that the requisite antennasupport structure must be dynamically stable even in the presence ofstrong winds and gusts blowing in any direction to ensure that theantenna remains stable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned problems are overcome andother features are provided by an antenna support and stowage system inaccordance with the invention which comprises a shelter and a radarantenna coupled to the shelter by means ofa positioningmechanism, theshe]- ter and the antenna being configured such'that when the antennasupport is stowed within the shelter, sufficient space remains for radarconsoles and allied radar equipment. The shelter contains, in apreferred embodiment of the invention, a pair of rails, one of which ismounted upon the ceiling and one of which is mounted upon the floor ofthe shelter, to permit the antenna and its positioning mechanism to bereadily rolled into and out of the shelter. The shelter is furthermoreadapted to permit the affixing of a pair of detachable pivots which areaffixed to the shelter adjacent the termini of the upper and the lowerrails for support of the positioning mechanism. The antenna positioningmechanism comprises a frame assembly, generally referred to as a yoke,having an upper and a lower rigid hollow beam which are rigidlyinterconnected by an interstitial member to provide a rigid andlightweight structure. The positioning mechanism further comprises apair of motor driven pivot assemblies, one at each end of the yoke forrespectively pivoting the yoke about the shelter and for pivoting theantenna about the yoke. A total azimuthal scanning sector inexeess of270, free of blockage by the shelter, is provided by pivoting the yokeover a sector of 180 about an end of the namic stability forwithstanding wind gusts. In the preferred embodiment of the inventionpinning mechanisms enclosed within the upper and lower beamsautomatically couple the yoke to the latching brackets. Rollerassemblies are provided on the support mechanism for rolling the supportmechanism and the antenna along the rails to stow the antenna. Anauxiliary rail is detachably affixed externally to the shelter tofacilitate movement of the support mechanism, the auxiliary rail beingconnected by a pivot to a bracket adjacent a terminus of the lower rail.There is also disclosed a foldable form of antenna wherein the overalldimensions of the antenna can be reduced to facilitate stowage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The aforementioned aspects and otheradvantages of the invention are explained in the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a radar system utilizing the antennasupport and stowage system of the invention for positioning an antennain the guiding of aircraft at an airport;

FIG. 2 shows a rear entrance to a shelter with the antennaand itspositioning mechanism being rolled into the shelter in accordance withthe invention;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial view of the radar system showing the assembly of areflector of the antenna in an embodiment of the invention wherein thereflector is larger than a shelter used for stowage;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a yoke assembly of the positioningmechanism showing a pivot assembly and latching brackets whereby theyoke assembly is connected to the shelter; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the invention showing the extent ofmechanical azimuthal coverage provided by the positioning mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and3, there is seena system 20 providing for both the support and stowage,i'n

accordance with the invention, of an antenna22 being used forcommunicating with aircraft 24 landing on and alighting from a runway26. FIG. 2'shows the antenna 22 in a folded configuration undergoing thestowaging procedure, while FIG. 3 shows a disassembly of the antenna 22,to be described hereinafter with respect to an alternative embodiment ofthe invention. The antenna 22 is shown, by way of example, as being aphased array antenna having a reflector 28, a lens 30 and a horn 32which transmits radiant energy through the lens 30 towards the reflector28 from which it reflects as a beam 34 to the aircraft 24. The antenna22 is supported by means of a yoke 36 which is pivotally connected to ashelter 38 by upper pivot 40 and a lower pivot 42, and is also pivotallyconnected to the antenna 22 by means of an upper pivot 44 and a lowerpivot 46. The yoke 36 comprises an upper member 48, a lower member 50and an interstitial member 52, each of which are hollow beams. The yoke36 permits the antenna 22 to be swung around, as will be describedhereinafter with reference to FIG. 5, so that the antenna 22 can faceaircraft approaching from any one of several directions and on any oneof a plurality of intersecting runways.

The shelter 38 serves as the base of support for the antenna 22 and isprovided with leveling jacks 54 to insure a stable level base even whenthe shelter 38 is mounted on uneven ground adjacent a runway 26. Theshelter is preferably positioned at the intersection of a plurality ofrunways to permit pointing the antenna 22 along any one of the runwaysdepending on the flight path of the aircraft 24. The lower pivot 42, theinterstitial member 52, the upper member 48 and the upper pivot 44sustain the weight of the antenna 22 while the upper pivot 40, the lowermember 50 and the lower pivot 46 serve only to balance horizontal forcesresulting from the cantilevered mounting of the antenna 22. Fourbrackets 55-58 are provided at an end of the shelter 38 for supportingthe yoke 36 at a point between the upper pivots 40 and 44 as well assecuring the yoke at a point between the lower pivots 42 and 46, therebyproviding in combination with the upper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42a four-point locking system which locks the yoke 36 to the shelter 38and imparts sufficient dynamic stability to the antenna 22 to maintainit stable even in the presence of high wind gusts. Rings 59 are affixedto the corners of the shelter 38 for ligting the shelter 38 and to aidin transporting the shelter 38 by helicopter; the rings 59 also serve astie down points for securely anchoring the shelter 38 to ground anchors60 via guy calbles'61.

In this embodiment of the invention, the antenna 22 is provided with aswiveled boom 62 for supporting the lens 30 and the horn 32 in spacedapart relation to the reflector 28, and swiveled about a pivot 63 duringstoward of the antenna 22 within the shelter 38. The swiveling of theboom 62 about the pivot 63 closes the distance between the lens 30 andthe reflector 28, thereby decreasing the overall dimensions of theantenna 22 to permit its entry into the shelter 38. The swiveling of theboom 60 about pivot 63 as well as the pivoting of the antenna about thepivots 44 and 46 provides for an ar ticulated structure comprising theboom 62, the reflector 28 and the yoke 36, which is thus seen to havethe capability of being folded up to permit stowarge of the completeantenna 22 as well as the yoke 36 within the shelter 38 withoutdisconnecting the antenna 22 from the yoke 36.

In'those situations where the reflector 28 is very.

much larger than the lens 30, and it is desired to retain a relativelysmall sizefor the shelter 38, the reflector 28 is dismantled prior tostowage as will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3. Tofacilitate explanation of the invention, each of the figures show theembodiment of the invention wherein the reflector 28 is larger than theshelter38, it being understood that by increasing the height oftheshelter 38, the complete antenna 22 including the reflector 28 can bestowed within the shelter 38 without disconnecting the reflector 28.

The shelter 38 is provided with an upper rail 64, a lower rail 65 and anauxiliary rail 66, and the yoke 36 and antenna 22 are provided with fourrollers 67-70 which mate with the rails 64-66. The lower rollers 68 and69 are grooved to ride upon the edge of the lower rail 65 and the edgeof the auxiliary rail 66, the groove retaining the rollers 68 and- 69upon the rails 65 and 66. The upper rollers 67 and 70 rotate aboutvertical axes and roll along a side of the interior surface of the upperrail 64 to maintain the yoke 36 in a vertical position.

During the stowaging of the antenna 22, the auxiliary rail 66 is broughtout from the shelter 38 and pinned at one end to the shelter 38 at theend of the rail 65 while the other end of the rail 66 is leveled by ajack 72. The antenna 22 is then swung out so that the axis of the yoke36 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of a shelter 38, and then theauxiliary rail 66 is raised slightly by the jack 72 to bring theauxiliary rail 66 into engagement with the rollers 68 and 69. Then theupper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42 are disconnected from the shelter38, and the yoke 36 with the upper and lower pivots 40 and 42 attachedthereto, as well as the antenna 22 being attached thereto, is rolledinto the shelter 38 with the rollers 67 and engaging the upper rail 64.Thereafter the auxiliary rail 66 with its jack 72 are stowed within theshelter 38, the jacks 54 are disconnected from the shelter 38 and arestowed therein, and a door 73 (seen partially cut away in FIG. 1) isaffixed at the end of the shelter 38. A flange assembly 74 is providedat the end of the shelter for mounting (as by bolting) the door 73interiorly of the pivots 40 and 42, as seen in FIG. 1, during operationof the radar system 20, and at the exterior wall of the shelter 38during stowage.

The shape of the antenna 22 in its folded configuration has beendesigned to permit its clearing consoles 75 contained within the shelter38, these consoles remaining in the shelter 38 during operation of theantenna 22 for use in guiding the aircraft '24 to a landing. It is alsointeresting to note, with reference to FIG. 2, that the spacing betweenthe upper member 48 and the lower member 50 is sufficient to accommodatea portion of the antenna 22 in the articulated position thereby aidingin reducing the overall size of the antenna 22 when folded into the yoke36.

The pivoting of the yoke 36 relative to the shelter 38 is accomplishedby a drive mechanism, to be described with reference to FIG. 4, withinthe upper pivot 40, and the pivoting of the antenna 22 relative to theyoke 36 is accomplished by a similar drive mechanism in the upper pivot44. The swiveling of the boom 62 about the pivot 63, is accomplished bymeans ofa manually operated screw drive 76 connecting between the boom62 and a supporting structure for the reflector 28.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is seen a detailed isometric view of theyoke 36 showing the upper pivot 40, the upper member 48with an accesscover 78 removed to expose adrive mechanism 80 which accomplishes thepivoting of the yoke 36 relative to the shelter 38. The construction ofthe upper pivot 40 and the lower pivot 42 are similar so that it isnecessary only to describe the details of the upper pivot 40. There isprovided a mounting bracket 82 whereby the upper pivot 40 is affixed bymeans of bolts 84 to the ceiling of the shelter 38, these bolts beingremoved when the antenna 22 is stowed. The drive mechanism 80 utilizes aclosed loop servo positioning system which comprises a motor 86 drivingthrough a gear train 88, and furthermore comprises a potentiometermechanically connected to the gear train 88 for providing electricalsignals indicating the orientation of the yoke 36, these. signals beingtransmitted via cabling (not shown) through the interstitial member 52and thence to the consoles 75,

seen in FIG. 1. The potentiometer 90 is of a multiple turn constructionto provide angle accuracies on the order of one-tenth of a degree topermit both local and remote control of the antenna azimuthal angle. Thedrive mechanism of the upper pivot 44 for pivoting the antenna 22 ofFIG. 1 about the yoke 36 comprises a drive mechanism similar to thedrive mechanism 80 and, accordingly, need not be separately described.

Also seen in FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the bracket 55 and a latchingunit 92 which automatically engages the bracket 55. The latching unit 92is carried within the upper member 48 for engaging the bracket 57 (seenin FIG. 1) in the same manner as the engaging of the bracket 55. Alatching unit 94, identical to latching unit 92, is carried in the lowermember 50 for engaging the brackets 56 and 58 (seen in FIG. 1). Thelatching unit 94 comprises a pin 98 and an actuator 100 for advancingand retracting the pin 98 along its axis. There is also provided aswitch 102 in the lower pivot 42 which is responsive to the position ofthe yoke 36 for deenergizing the drive mechanism 80 and energizing theactuator 100 with electric current as the yoke 36 approaches thebrackets 55 and 56, and also when the, yoke 36 swings to the brackets 57and 58. For example, pins 103 may be utilized to actuate the switch 102.Rollers 104 are positioned at the outer edge of the upper brackets 55and 57 so that the upper member 48 rides up onto the rollers 104 formore precise bracing by and positioning within the brackets 55 and 57.The lower brackets 56 and 58 are similar tobracket 55 except that noroller 104 is provided for them. In the upper wall of the lower member50 there is a round hole 106 through which the pin 98 passes forengagement with a recess 107 in the lower face of each or the brackets56 and 58. Another round hole is providedin the lower wall of the uppermember 48 for passage of the pin of the latching unit 92. g

In operation, therefore, as the yoke 36 approaches the brackets 55 and56 (or the brackets 57 and 58) the switch 102 deenergizes the drivemechanism 80 of the upper pivot 40 thereby easing the yoke 36 intoposition relative to the brackets 55 and 56, and energizes the actuators100 to drive their respective pins 98 into locking engagement with therecesses 107 of the brackets 55-58 to rigidly connect the yoke 36 to theshelter 36.

With respect to the overall operation of the antenna 22 and the consoles75 for, guiding aircraft 24, electrical signals between the antenna 22and the consoles 75 are provided by cabling 108, seen inFIG. l, whichpasses through the hollow interiorof the lower member 50, and also viacabling l09 whichconnects with the lens 30 and the horn32 via a hollowspace within the boom 60. The cabling 1 08 exits from the yoke 36 froman opening in the interstitialm ember 52 whereupon it connects with theconsoles 75. Sufficient slack is provided in the cabling 108 at thepivots 42, 46 and 63 to permit pivoting of the yoke 36, the antenna 22and the boom 62. Additional slack may be provided in the cabling I08 topermit-the stowing of the yoke 36 without tion has been disclosed in acopending patent application entitled Phased Array Antenna", Ser. No.

186,128, by V. L. Heeren, J. Howell and C. D. Reis. With suchaircrafttracking systems, the space within the shelter 38 is sufficientto accommodate an adequate number of operators and consoles for guidingaircraft in their approach to runways during landing operations and alsoduring take off. Antenna 1]] is deatachably connected to the shelter 38and electrically coupled to the consoles for communication of radar datavia a microwave link to other radar sites such as a search radar. Inaddition, the antenna 1 1] permits the communicating of antenna positiondata from a remote site to the consoles 75 for remote position controlof the antenna 22.

Referring again to FIG. 3, there is seen a view of the system 20 inwhich the reflector 28 is being connected to a back support structure112 of the antenna 22 with the aid of a winch 11 4 temporarily mountedon the back structure 112. The procedure shown in FIG. 3 is appliedwhenever a reflector larger than the shelter 38 is utilized, theprocedure being applied either for assembling the antenna 22 or fordisassembly prior to stowage. The reflector 28 is provided in twosections which are joined along a seam 116 by means of a set of bolts118 affixed at the back side of the reflector 28. To accomplish assemblyof the antenna 22, the reflector 28 is first temporarily affixed to theback structure 112 by the insertion of pins 120 which permit pivoting ofthe lower edge of the reflector 28 about the lower edge of the backstructure 112. The reflector 28 is then hoisted by the winch .114 andbolted in place via bolts (not shown) affixed between'the back side ofthe reflector 28 and the back structure 112. The pins I20 and the winch114 may then be removed until such time as it is desired to disassemblethe antenna 22. As can be seen in the figure, the back structure 112 iscapable of supporting a reflector 28 which is much larger than the backstructure 112 since the physical connection between the reflector 28 andthe back structure 112 need be provided only in the section of thereflector 28 adjacent one corner of the reflector 28. Rigidity of thereflector 28 is provided by an internal honeycomb structure. Toaccomplish disassembly of the antenna 22, this procedure is reversed.Stowage of the large reflector 28 is accomplished by separately stowingeach half of the reflector 28. If the shelter 38 is of sufficientlylarge size,

a sub-floor may be provided beneath theshelter 38 for stowing the twosections of the reflector 28 beneath the stowed yoke 36. Otherwise,thetwo sections of thereflector 28 would be separatelystowed'elsewhere.

Other parts of the system 20 may also be stowed in the shelter 38. Thus,the antenna 111 as well as the auxiliary rail 66 and the jacks 72 and 54may all be stowe'd within the shelter 38 or, alternatively, in the eventthat the shelter 38 is restricted to be of a small size, these itemswould be stored elsewhere. In the preferred embodiment of the invention,the auxiliary rail 66 comprises two shorter section rails which arejoined together by a sheer plate 122, seen in FIG. 3, when the auxiliaryrail 66 is to be utilized in stowing or unstowing the antenna 22. Duringstowage one section of the auxiliary rail 66 is placed across the floorof the shelter 38 to further brace the yoke 36 and the antenna 22.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is seen a diagrammatic representation ofthe system 20 in plan view depicting two extreme positions and onecentral position of the antenna 22. The mechanical sector scan islimited by a point of contact of the reflector 28 with the shelter 38 atone extreme position, and by a point of contact between the boom 62 andthe shelter 38 at the second extreme position, this providing amechanical sector scan of approximately 280 for the preferred embodimentof the invention. Additional sector scanning is provided electronicallyby the phased array characteristic of the antenna 22. In the centralposition of the yoke 36, there is provided approximately 180 of pivotingof the antenna 22 about the yoke 36. The total sector scan can beincreased by increasing the length of the yoke 36 so that it extendsfurther beyond the corners of the shelter. However, the configuration ofFIG. providing 280 is adequate for the typical airport installationwhere the shelter 38 is sited near the intersection of two or morerunways.

It is understood that the above described embodiment of the invention isillustrative only in that modifications thereof will occur to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, it is desired that this invention isnot to be limited to the embodiment disclosed herein but is to belimited only as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna support and stowage system comprising:

a shelter;

a positioning means adapted to be attached to said shelter at aplurality of points of attachment;

a first motor driven pivoting means affixed to one end of saidpositioning means;

a second motor driven pivoting means affixed to a second end of saidpositioning means;

said positioning means being connected at said first end thereof by atleast one of said points of attachment to said shelter, ,saidpositioning means being connected at said second end thereof to anantenna, said first motor driven pivot pivoting said positioning meansabout said shelter into locking engagement with at least one of saidpoints of attachment, and said second motor driven pivot pivoting saidantenna about said positioning means independently of said firstpivoting; and

means including guide rails for guiding said positioning means and saidantenna into said shelter for stowage therein.

2. The support and stowage system of claim 1 wherein said positioningmeans can be fixedly attached to said shelter in a plurality ofpositions.

3. The support and stowage system according to claim 2 wherein, for anyone of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means to saidshelter, there is provided on said shelter at a plurality of said pointsof attachment a plurality of means for automatically pinning saidpositioning means to said shelter to provide improved dynamic stabilityto said positioning means.

4. The support and stowage system according to claim 3 wherein saidsecond motor driven pivot provides for an articulation of said antennarelative to said positioning means for reducing the overall size of thecombination of said positioning means and said antenna to permit saidstowage of said positioning means and said antenna within said shelter.

5. The support and stowage system according to claim 4 wherein saidpositioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidlyinterconnected and spaced apart by an interstitial member, said spacingbetween said horizontal members being sufficient to ac commodate atleast a portion of said antenna during said stowage of said positioningmeans and said antenna.

6. The support and stowage system according to claim 5 wherein saidpositioning means positions said antenna at a sufficient distance fromsaid shelter so that the combination of the rotations of said antennaabout said second end of said positioning means in each of said fixedlyattached positions of said positioning means provides for a total sectorscan of said antenna in excess of 270 about said shelter.

7. The support and stowage system according to claim 6 wherein saidguidance means includes an upper rail affixed to a ceiling of saidshelter and a lower rail affixed to a floor of said shelter, saidpositioning means comprising rollers adapted for engagement with saidrails whereby said positioning means is rolled into said shelter toaccomplish said stowage.

8. The support and stowage system according to claim 7 wherein saidfirst motor driven pivot is adapted to be disconnected from saidshelter, said first motor driven pivot remaining affixed to the saidpositioning means as said positioning means is rolled into said shelterthereby providing for a stowage of said first motor driven pivot.

9. In combination:

a base about which an antenna can be positioned;

means for positioning said antenna relative to said base, saidpositioning means being pivotally connected to said antenna to permit anarticulation of said antenna with said positioning means;

a four-point mounting system for fixedly connecting said positioningmeans in any one of a plurality of positions to said base, two of saidmounting points comprising means for pivoting said positioning meansabout said base, and two of said mounting points comprising means forlocking said positioning means to said base;

means for driving said positioning means about said pivoting means ofsaid four-point mounting system from a pair of said locking means in oneposition of said four-point mounting system to a pair of said lockingmeans in another position of said fourpoint mounting system, saidlocking means alternately providing for a locking and an unlocking ofsaid positioning means to permit a changing of the position of saidpositioning means; and

means for guiding said positioning means with said antenna articulatedtherewith from, an unlocked position of said positioning means to astowage region within said base.

10. The combination according to claim 9 wherein said pivoting of saidpositioning means relative to said antenna is motor driven to provide asector scanning of said antenna relative to said positioning meansindependently of the position of said positioning means.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said positioning meansprovides for a sufficient distance between said antenna and said basesuch that the total sector scan of said antenna relative to saidpositioning means at one position of said positioning means plus thetotal sector scan of said antenna at another position of saidpositioning means provides for a composite sector scan of said antennarelative to said base which is greater than 270 about said base.

12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein said positioning meanscomprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly coupled together andspaced apart by an interstitial member, the spacing between saidhorizontal members being sufficient to enclose at least a portion ofsaid antenna during said stowing of said antenna.

13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein each of said membersof said positioning means is hollow and provides a passageway thereinfor electrical cable connecting said antenna with said base, saidcombination further comprising angle sensing means within at least oneof said members and connecting with one of said pivoting means forproviding information relative to the angle of orientation of saidpositioning means relative to said base.

14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein said guiding meanscomprises rails affixed to a top and a bottom portion of said stowageregion, said positioning means includes roller means affixed thereto andadapted for engagement with said rails for enabling said positioningmeans to be rolled into said stowage region.

15. A system for supporting and positioning an antenna relative to ashelter, the system also providing for the folding of the antenna tofacilitate its stowage in the shelter, the system including means forguiding the antenna as well as the supporting mechanism into theshelter, the system being characterized by the comprising of:

a movable frame assembly adapted to be connected at one end thereof tosaid shelter and at a second end thereof to be pivotably connected tosaid antenna, saidframe assembly comprising means to permit its beingfixedly connected at a point between said first and said second end .tosaid shelter,

said frame assembly further comprising pivoting means for connectionwith said shelter to provide a pivoting of said frame assembly from onepoint of fixed connection with said shelter to a second point of fixedconnection with said shelter;

means including rails and rollers for stowing said frame assembly andsaid antenna within said shelter, said rails being positioned in saidshelter in spaced apart relation, and said rollers being mounted on saidframe assembly and adapted for engagement with said rails; and

means for pivoting said antenna about an end of said frame assemblyindependently of the position of said frame assembly.

1. An antenna support and stowage system comprising: a shelter; a positioning means adapted to be attached to said shelter at a plurality of points of attachment; a first motor driven pivoting means affixed to one end of said positioning means; a second motor driven pivoting means affixed to a second end of said positioning means; said positioning means being connected at said first end thereof by at least one of said points of attachment to said shelter, said positioning means being connected at said second end thereof to an antenna, said first motor driven pivot pivoting said positioning means about said shelter into locking engagement with at least one of said points of attachment, and said second motor driven pivot pivoting said antenna about said positioning means independently of said first pivoting; and means including guide rails for guiding said positioning means and said antenna into said shelter for stowage therein.
 2. The support and stowage system of claim 1 wherein said positioning means can be fixedly attached to said shelter in a plurality of positions.
 3. The support and stowage system according to claim 2 wherein, for any one of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means to said shelter, there is provided on said shelter at a plurality of said points of attachment a plurality of means for automatically pinning said positioning means to said shelter to provide improved dynamic stability to said positioning means.
 4. The support and stowage system according to claim 3 wherein said second motor driven pivot provides for an articulation of said antenna relative to said positioning means for reducing the overall size of the combination of said positioning means and said antenna to permit said stowage of said positioning means and said antenna within said shelter.
 5. The support and stowage system according to claim 4 wherein said positioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly interconnected and spaced apart by an interstitial member, said spacing between said horizontal members being sufficient to accommodate at least a portion of said antenna during said stowage of said positioning means and said antenna.
 6. The support and stowage system according to claim 5 wherein said positioning means positions said antenna at a sufficient distance from said shelter so that the combination of the rotations of said antenna about said second end of said positioning means in each of said fixedly attached positions of said positioning means provides for a total sector scan of said antenna in excess of 270* about said shelter.
 7. The support and stowage system according to claim 6 wherein said guidance means includes an upper rail affixed to a ceiling of said shelter and a lower rail affixed to a floor of said shelter, said positioning means comprising rollers adapted for engagement with said rails whereby said positioning means is rolled into said shelter to accomplish said stowage.
 8. The support and stowage system according to claim 7 wherein said first motor driven pivot is adapted to be disconnected from said shelter, said first motor driven pivot remaining affixed to the said positioning means as said positioning means is rolled into said shelter thereby providing for a stowage of said first motor driven pivot.
 9. In combination: a base about which an antenna can be positioned; means for positioning said antenna relative to said base, said positioning means being pivotally connected to said antenna to permit an articulation of said antenna with said positioning means; a four-point mounting system for fixedly connecting said positioning means in any one of a plurality of positions to said base, two of said mounting points comprising means for pivoting said positioning means about said base, and two of said mounting points comprising means for locking said positioning means to said base; means for driving said positioning means about said pivoting means of said four-point mounting system from a pair of said locking means in one position of said four-point mounting system to a pair of said locking means in another position of said four-point mounting system, said locking means alternately providing for a locking and an unlocking of said positioning means to permit a changing of the position of said positioning means; and means for guiding said positioning means with said antenna articulated therewith from an unlocked position of said positioning means to a stowage region within said base.
 10. The combination according to claim 9 wherein said pivoting of said positioning means relative to said antenna is motor driven to provide a secTor scanning of said antenna relative to said positioning means independently of the position of said positioning means.
 11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said positioning means provides for a sufficient distance between said antenna and said base such that the total sector scan of said antenna relative to said positioning means at one position of said positioning means plus the total sector scan of said antenna at another position of said positioning means provides for a composite sector scan of said antenna relative to said base which is greater than 270* about said base.
 12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein said positioning means comprises a pair of horizontal members rigidly coupled together and spaced apart by an interstitial member, the spacing between said horizontal members being sufficient to enclose at least a portion of said antenna during said stowing of said antenna.
 13. The combination according to claim 12 wherein each of said members of said positioning means is hollow and provides a passageway therein for electrical cable connecting said antenna with said base, said combination further comprising angle sensing means within at least one of said members and connecting with one of said pivoting means for providing information relative to the angle of orientation of said positioning means relative to said base.
 14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein said guiding means comprises rails affixed to a top and a bottom portion of said stowage region, said positioning means includes roller means affixed thereto and adapted for engagement with said rails for enabling said positioning means to be rolled into said stowage region.
 15. A system for supporting and positioning an antenna relative to a shelter, the system also providing for the folding of the antenna to facilitate its stowage in the shelter, the system including means for guiding the antenna as well as the supporting mechanism into the shelter, the system being characterized by the comprising of: a movable frame assembly adapted to be connected at one end thereof to said shelter and at a second end thereof to be pivotably connected to said antenna, said frame assembly comprising means to permit its being fixedly connected at a point between said first and said second end to said shelter, said frame assembly further comprising pivoting means for connection with said shelter to provide a pivoting of said frame assembly from one point of fixed connection with said shelter to a second point of fixed connection with said shelter; means including rails and rollers for stowing said frame assembly and said antenna within said shelter, said rails being positioned in said shelter in spaced apart relation, and said rollers being mounted on said frame assembly and adapted for engagement with said rails; and means for pivoting said antenna about an end of said frame assembly independently of the position of said frame assembly. 